Signs of progress says Sammy

LONDON
– Darren Sammy said West Indies continued to show signs of a competitive edge, despite
losing the first Test against England by five wickets on Monday at Lord’s here.

The
West Indies captain said he was “quite pleased” that his side had pushed the
World No.1 side, but he felt there were areas where West Indies could tighten
up, making them even more competitive in the future.

“We
were told there were no fifth-day tickets printed,” said Sammy. “. . .And we
took the game into the fifth day.

“The
team continued to show the never-say-die attitude which we promised to bring
out here in England. And we had some good performances from some of the
players. We’ll take these positives into the next Test.”

Sammy
said the players had gotten used to pundits playing down their chances, but the
side had time and again defied the odds to give their opponents quite a scare.

“We
are kind of used to it now,” he said. “For the last 10 years, they have been
saying that about us. We in the dressing room have our own confidence that once
we go out and execute, if we bowl in a disciplined fashion, we create problems.

“We
got the last seven wickets [in the England first innings] for 130-odd runs. So
we could do it. But it is about doing it consistently enough. And when you are
playing against the No.1 team you have to be at your best all the time.”

Sammy
refused to be drawn into the debate about where World No.1 Test batsman Shivnarine
Chanderpaul should bat in the order.

He
said the focus should be less upon Chanderpaul and on the other batsmen learning
from the veteran left-hander about placing a high value on their wicket.

“Shiv
is quite an experienced player, so if he says something he has a lot of
reasoning for saying it,” said Sammy. “He has done an excellent job for us at
No.5 and he continues to do this.

“I
more want our batsmen to take a page out of his book instead of [discussing]
where he should bat. He could bat higher, get out early, and it would be a
different story.

“Right
now, what needs to happen is our batsmen have to stand up and bat, and set a
platform so when he comes in, he could play his game and we all can bat around him.”

In
this regard, Sammy included himself and he noted that his dismissal late on the
penultimate day of the Test may have been a key moment.

“I
think I let the team down in that department,” he said. “I was striking the
ball quite well when the field was spread. If I had batted for the rest of the
evening, it would definitely have been England chasing 250-plus. That could
have been the difference.

“The
bowlers made the best out of defending 191. But once the ball got older, it
became easier to play, and the calibre of batsmen in the England side, they
played the situation quite well.”

He
added: “I liked standing at slips, watching these guys, our pacers, running in
and knowing that anytime an edge could come my way.

“It
just felt right. . .Our pacers have been doing a good job for us throughout the
last year or two. . .A few more wickets between them – and it could have been a
different story.”

The
second Test begins this coming Friday at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.